THE VICE PRESIDENT: Thank you all. (Applause.) Thank you very
much. (Applause.) Mercy. (Laughter.) That's a good way to start the
week.

But I want to thank you, Tim, for your kind introduction, and the
invitation to come to Pittsburgh. And it's great to be here this
morning and to bring good wishes to all of your from our President,
George W. Bush. (Applause.)

Of course, I've been to Pittsburgh and your fine city a great many times
over the years. I especially remember our visits during last year's
campaign. We fought hard in Pennsylvania, and although we fell a little
short, the trend in the state is clear. President Bush and I received
the most votes in Pennsylvania in any Republican ticket in history.
(Applause.)

And the 18th District, you re-elected an outstanding congressman. And
next year, with your help, Tim Murphy will win another term -- and so
will United States Senator Rick Santorum. (Applause.)

As many of you know, I consider the House of Representatives to be my
political home. I was the congressman from Wyoming for 10 years.
Wyoming only has one congressman. (Laughter.) It was a small
delegation, but it was quality. (Laughter.)

But I served there proudly. And the colleagues that I respected most
during my service were the ones who took the job seriously, who did
their homework, who made a positive contribution to the debate, and who
kept in touch with the folks back home. And that's exactly the kind of
congressman you've elected in Tim Murphy.

Tim arrived in Washington two-and-a-half-years ago now with a
distinguished record as a health care provider, as an educator, as a
small businessman, and a public servant. He's put that experience to
good use and won the respect of colleagues on both sides of the aisle.
Whether the issue is health care for families and seniors, or better
public schools, jobs and transportation, or energy independence for
America, Tim speaks with common sense and with the solid values of
western Pennsylvania. It would be a better Congress if we had more
members like Tim Murphy, and I want to thank you for sending him to
Washington to work with all of us. (Applause.)

The President and I need Tim to help work with us to meet our priorities
for the nation -- to keep the economy moving forward, to extend
prosperity's reach into the lives of more Americans, and to protect this
nation against those who wish to harm us.

As the President has said many times, we did not go to Washington simply
to mark time, but rather to face challenges squarely, to act where
action is required, and to solve problems instead of passing them on to
future generations. That has been our approach since the day we arrived
some four-and-a-half years ago.

When we took office, the nation's economy was sliding into recession.
To get it growing again, we delivered tax relief four times in four
years. We doubled the child tax credit, decreased the marriage penalty,
and cut rates across the board. We gave small businesses strong
incentives to save and to invest, and we phased out the death tax, so
that families and farmers can leave behind more of what they earn for
their families.

These were the right policies for a struggling economy -- and now
we are seeing the results. Americans today have more money to spend, to
save, and to invest, and they are using it to drive this economy
forward. The home ownership rate is the highest ever. Interest rates
are low. Manufacturing activity is on the rise. Productivity is high.
We've seen steady job gains for 25 straight months. Since May of '03,
the economy has generated 3.7 million new jobs, and more Americans are
working today than ever before in our history.

At the same time, federal revenues are increasing -- proving once again
that lower taxes are an incentive for entrepreneurs to start businesses,
to invest in equipment, and to hire new workers. By the current
estimate, the deficit will be $94 billion less than previously projected
just a few months ago -- keeping us well ahead of the pace we need to
meet our goal of cutting the deficit in half over the next four years.
(Applause.)

To keep the economy on track, we're going to continue to be good
stewards of taxpayer dollars. For the sake of long-term growth and job
creation, we need to make tax relief permanent, and we need to practice
spending restraint in Washington, D.C. (Applause.)

We'll also keep the economy strong by delivering regulatory relief, an
energy strategy that makes America less dependent on foreign sources of
energy, and legal reforms that spare honest entrepreneurs and
businessmen from junk lawsuits. One of America's most important
institutions is also in need of fundamental reform. The time has come
to join together to save Social Security for our children and their
grandchildren. (Applause.)

To build a stronger, better America for the next generation, all of us
who serve the country have a duty to uphold the values that sustain our
society -- limited government, personal responsibility, free enterprise,
reverence for life, and equal justice under the law. And in this second
term, President Bush will continue nominating federal judges who
faithfully interpret the law, instead of legislating from the bench.
(Applause.)

From the beginning, the President has nominated men and women who
meet the highest standards of legal training, temperament, and judgment.
He has kept this commitment once again in nominating a man of
experience, wisdom, and character, Judge John Roberts, for the United
States Supreme Court. (Applause.)

Judge Roberts is one of the most distinguished and talented lawyers
in the country, and a worthy choice to succeed Justice Sandra Day
O'Connor. In the weeks ahead, Americans deserve, and Judge Roberts
deserves, a process that is honest and bipartisan. And the Senate has a
duty to give this nominee fair treatment, a fair hearing, and a fair up
or down vote.

In this time of testing for our country, we understand that our greatest
responsibility is the active defense of the American people. We know
that even though nearly four years have passed since 9/11, we have
continuing, urgent duties. That morning in 2001 changed everything for
our country, as we began fighting a new kind of war against determined
enemies. The terrorists behind 9/11 have declared their intention to
kill great numbers of innocent Americans, and they seek ever deadlier
weapons to do so. This continuing threat demands a comprehensive,
effective response -- to make this nation better able to respond to any
future attacks, to reduce our vulnerability, and, above all, to hunt
down the terrorists before they can hit us again.

The war on terror has a home front, and we have taken extraordinary
measures to protect the American people and our homeland. Yet for all
the increased security, we must realize -- as the 9/11 Commission put it
-- that America is safer, but that we are not yet safe. The enemy is
wounded, off-balance, and on the run -- yet still very active, still
seeking recruits, still trying to hit us. Since 9/11 they have
continued to kill not only in New York and Washington, but in
Casablanca, Jakarta, Mombassa, Bali, Riyadh, Istanbul, Madrid, Sharm el
Sheikh and London. Killers who target innocent, unsuspecting men,
women, and children during a morning rush hour, or fly passenger jets
into buildings, are not the kind of people you can bring to the
bargaining table and sit down for a reasonable exchange of ideas. The
only option against these enemies is to find them, to fight them, and to
defeat them. (Applause.)

In these last 46 months, we've been unrelenting in the effort to defend
the freedom and the security of the American people. We continue to
make progress on many fronts -- financial, legal, military, and others.
We are dealing with a network that has had cells in countries all over
the world, and bit by bit, by diplomacy and force, with our allies and
partners we are acting to shrink the area in which terrorists can freely
operate. Many countries have joined us in tracking the enemy,
disrupting plots against America and our friends, destroying the
training camps where terrorists trained, and closing off their access to
funding. We've removed two brutal regimes in Iraq and Afghanistan.
We've persuaded another regime, Libya, to voluntarily abandon its
weapons of mass destruction program to develop nuclear weapons. We have
uncovered a sophisticated, large-scale network selling nuclear weapons
technology on the black market, and we've shut that network down. The
United States has acted decisively, and we've sent a clear message: We
will not stand by and allow terrorists to find safe haven, or to gain
control of weapons of mass murder. (Applause.)

There is still hard work ahead -- and the world is counting on the
United States for leadership. We have no illusions about the difficulty
of engaging enemies that dwell in the shadows and recognize neither the
laws of warfare nor standards of morality. We cannot predict the length
or the course of the war on terror. Yet we know with certainty that
with good allies at our side, this great nation will persevere, and we
will prevail. (Applause.)

Overcoming threats is only the beginning of America's responsibilities.
In the broader Middle East, we are encouraging free markets, democracy,
and tolerance -- because these are the ideas and aspirations that
overcome violence, and turn societies to the pursuit of peace. Like
other great duties in history, it will require decades of patient
effort, and it will be resisted by those whose only hope for power is
the spread of violence. Yet the direction of events is clear.
Afghanistan has held the first free elections in the nation's 5,000-year
history. In Iraq, voters turned out in incredible numbers and elected
leaders who are now preparing the way for a new constitution and a
representative government. The Palestinian people have chosen a new
president and have new hopes for democracy and peace. The citizens of
Ukraine have stood strongly for their democratic rights, and chosen a
new leader for their country. In Lebanon, citizens have poured into the
streets to demand freedom to determine a peaceful future for their own
country as a fully independent member of the world community. We are
seeing the power of freedom to change our world, and all who strive for
freedom can know that the United States of America is on their side.
(Applause.)

We know from history that the technology of warfare is always changing
-- and in our time that technology is more deadly than ever. Yet our
most basic military asset has not changed in the slightest. No matter
how complicated war might be, it always comes down to the ones who man
the aircraft and the ships, and who carry the rifles. The men and women
of our armed forces reflect extraordinary credit on the United States of
America. As a former Secretary of Defense, I can assure you the cause
of freedom has never been in better hands. (Applause.)

President Bush and I recognize that the American people have entrusted
us with great responsibilities at an historic moment for our nation.
We've set big goals. They're not always easy to achieve -- and if they
were, somebody would have done them already. But it's more than worth
the effort, so when future generations look back on our time, they will
know that we met our moment with courage and clear thinking. And they
will know that America became a better nation -- stronger, more
prosperous, and more secure -- because George W. Bush was President of
the United States. (Applause.)

We're going to continue making progress for the American people -- and
in that work we couldn't ask for a better partner than Tim Murphy. Once
again, I want to thank all of you for your commitment to the cause we
share, for sending Tim to Washington. The President and I look forward
to working with him for a good many years to come.